Arthur Murphy
Arthur Murphy was an Irish playwright, actor, and political journalist, born on December 27, 1727. After experiencing early familial loss, he moved to London in 1735, where his education at the Jesuit College in St. Omer exposed him to Greek and Roman classics that would later influence his writing. He began his career as an essayist and made his acting debut in 1754, soon after writing his first play, The Apprentice. Over his career, Murphy produced a variety of theatrical works, including comedies and historical tragedies, with notable plays such as The Grecian Daughter and Know Your Own Mind.
Although occasionally accused of being merely a translator due to the French influences in his work, his comedies gained more enduring success than his serious plays. Murphy was also active in political journalism, supporting opposition figures and engaging in literary critiques considered among the finest of his era. In addition to his writing, he navigated legal work, advocating for limited literary copyrights which were ultimately recognized by the House of Lords. Despite his professional accomplishments, Murphy faced lifelong financial challenges and personal setbacks, including the loss of a fiancé. He passed away in London on June 18, 1805, leaving behind a legacy as a prominent playwright of his time, second only to Richard Brinsley Sheridan.
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Arthur Murphy
Playwright
- Born: December 27, 1727
- Birthplace: Clooniquin, County Roscommon, Ireland
- Died: June 18, 1805
- Place of death: Knightsbridge, London, England
Biography
Arthur Murphy was born in Ireland on December 27, 1727, the son of Richard Murphy and Jan French Murphy. Murphy’s father died at sea in 1729, and his mother moved to London in 1735. He lived with an aunt in Boulogne, France, from 1736 to 1738, and then went to the Jesuit College for English Catholics at St. Omer, where he studied the Greek and Roman classics that would heavily influence his plays. After studying mathematics and accounting at Webster’s Academy, Murphy went to Cork, Ireland, in 1747 as an apprentice to a merchant. He was disowned by his uncle, Jeffrey French, in 1749 for refusing to go to Jamaica and went to London to begin a career as an essayist.
Murphy also became an actor in 1754 and wrote his first play, The Young Apprentice, though its production was delayed until 1756 because of the first of many disagreements with legendary actor-producer David Garrick. It was finally performed under the title The Apprentice. Murphy’s plays included farces, satires, romances, and such historical tragedies as The Orphan of China, which starred Garrick. His classical background can be seen in such plays as The Grecian Daughter.
All in the Wrong, his adaptation of Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid, was one of his most popular comedies. Other Murphy plays have had French sources, leading to the complaint that he is a mere translator. His comedies have had more lasting success than his more serious plays, with Know Your Own Mind considered the best.
Murphy turned to political journalism in 1756-1757 by publishing issues of The Test in support of Henry Fox’s opposition to the government of William Pitt. He also wrote drama criticism, considered some of the best in the eighteenth century, for The Chronicle. Through the influence of Fox, Murphy was admitted to the bar but still devoted much of his energy to writing.
In 1762, he edited an edition of his friend Henry Fielding’s works and published The Works of Cornelius Tacitus; with an Essay on His Life and Genius, a translation, in 1793. He published biographies of Samuel Johnson in 1792 and Garrick in 1801. Among Murphy’s legal activities was a long dispute over literary copyrights. His argument for a limited period rather than a perpetual copyright was approved by the House of Lords in 1774. In his final years, Murphy did not practice law but acted as a commissioner of bankruptcy.
Disorganized and living beyond his means, he had financial difficulties all his life. Murphy’s fiancé died in 1754, and he had romances with several actresses, but never married. He sat for a portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds, but the painting is lost. When Murphy died in London on June 18, 1805, he was considered second only to Richard Brinsley Sheridan as the outstanding English playwright of his time.